Tuesday, April 6, 2010

In a CNN segment called 'Finding a "cure" for homosexuality?' by anchor Kyra Phillips the network has given the pseudo-scientific topic of "ex-gay" therapy and its proponents a national platform to advocate for their harmful and unsound work.

The reason for airing the segment is because California lawmaker Bonnie Lowenthal has introduced legislation to repeal a 1960 law that encourages the government to study cures for homosexuality. Instead of discussing the merits of the proposed bill and why "finding cures" for being gay don't work, Phillips and CNN gave credence to this bogus 'therapy' and allowed "ex-gay activist" Richard Cohen to spew his lies and promote new research (old studies that have been discredited).

2 comments:

I think it's pretty clear in watching the video that both Phillips and the Assemblywoman from CA are basically holding back their snickers at Cohen and his (what can only be described as) pure-silliness. It's clear (at least I found it clear) that Phillips agrees that the law should be repealed, the Assemblywoman obviously believes it should be repealed, and at the end the Assemblywoman more or less assures us that the law will be repealed.

In addition, at one point Phillips asks Cohen why, if he has been "cured" of his homosexuality, he feels so strongly that the law stay in place. If that question isn't enough to cause people to pause and think, I don't know what is. If you had any doubt that Phillips was on the side of the LGBT community I feel like her question to Cohen should have resolved those doubts.

I have to echo Rachel here. Besides Phillips extensively covering LGBTQ issues during her daytime news show (something still unfortunately relatively uncommon... I could go dig up examples, but that's not really important for this discussion), I think it's clear that her questions have a slant. Why censure journalists simply for giving oppositional voices a public platform? Isn't that their job?

If nothing else, this interview makes me think about some really important topics, including the construction and fluidity of sexuality. Inadvertently, Cohen is acknowledging anti-essentialist notions of sexual orientation categories. "Gay" and "straight" are BOTH constructed identity categories. Queer notions indeed.

And can I just point out the impressive civility these folks are displaying toward each other? That's at least something...